


Just Right

by hizashi



Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Canon Compliant, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 07:27:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16363511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hizashi/pseuds/hizashi
Summary: Jinhwan might not be tall, but he certainly isn't small either. He's just the right size.A series about Jinhwan's height difference with everyone.





	1. In the Supermarket (bobhwan)

**Author's Note:**

> I have 41k words' worth of wips (50k if we count Film Reel), but I'm a bit burnt out and uninspired, so I read through some prompts for inspiration. Found a collection of prompts based on height difference, and they seemed fun, so I wrote a couple.
> 
> They're all pretty lighthearted and simple because I wrote them to relax and get the creative juices flowing, but I had fun writing them, so I hope you have fun reading them!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **bobhwan, in the supermarket, au**
> 
> Jinhwan takes a step back and surveys the cereal critically, wondering if he’d end up embarrassing himself more by trying and failing to reach it or by waiting for Bobby to come back and asking him for help. He decides asking Bobby would be infinitely more embarrassing.

Jinhwan is pushing the cart slowly down the aisle while Bobby lopes after him. He frowns at the list on his phone and then at the groceries in the cart. He’d forgotten the eggs, and of course Bobby had grabbed the wrong milk. He drinks whole milk like a baby, so Jinhwan has been trying to wean him off of it by buying two-percent milk. Bobby must have thought he could sneak the whole milk past Jinhwan like Jinhwan doesn’t have eyes. “Go get a half dozen eggs and the right damn milk.” Bobby starts protesting immediately, but he gives in at Jinhwan’s disapproving look and grabs the offending milk from the cart. “Tyrant,” Bobby mutters under his breath, but Jinhwan just rolls his eyes. He watches Bobby slouch off back toward the dairy section, and then he turns the cart down the cereal aisle.

His cereal brand isn’t anywhere to be found, and Jinhwan wrinkles his nose. It wouldn’t be out of stock, and the store certainly wouldn’t have stopped selling it. He walks up and down the aisle twice, grumbling to himself, before he notices the huge display with all the different cereals sold by his preferred brand. His under-the-breath complaints increase and he parks the cart on the side of the display, and then he actually groans loudly when he realizes that his favorite type is at the top of the display. He’s never going to be able to reach it. He takes a step back and surveys the cereal critically, wondering if he’d end up embarrassing himself more by trying and failing to reach it or by waiting for Bobby to come back and asking him for help. Jinhwan decides asking Bobby would be infinitely more embarrassing.

He inches as close as he can to the display, stands on his tiptoes, and stretches his arm up as far as it can go. Success! He just manages to reach a box, and he’s in the process of carefully nudging it off the shelf when Bobby shows up again. “Got the eggs and your friggin’ cow water, man, no clue how you can drink this shit, man, shit’s fuggin’ _shit_ —” Jinhwan turns to glare at Bobby and has just opened his mouth to retort when he accidentally pushes the box off the display. It knocks over two other boxes, and one of them smacks Jinhwan right on the head, which causes him to lose his balance. And because he’d had a hand on another shelf to steady himself while he’d reached for the top shelf, of course he ends up bringing the entire display down with him. He even squeaks and flails as he falls because this situation needs to be more embarrassing.

“Shit, Jinhwan!” Bobby shouts. 

He runs over to the mountain of fallen cereal boxes, pushes the cardboard shelving off, and digs through the boxes until he finds Jinhwan. He pulls Jinhwan into a sitting position, and Jinhwan blinks, in a daze. He’d hit the back of his head on the floor. “Shit, bro, you okay?” Bobby asks, his face full of worry. Jinhwan looks over Bobby’s shoulder, too embarrassed to look him in the eye. And of course there are people staring, and a couple of high school girls are giggling and pointing, and Jinhwan can feel his face burning. This is humiliating. “Bro, you’re bleeding!” Bobby says, reaching for Jinhwan’s forehead. Jinhwan bats Bobby’s hand away and touches his forehead, and sure enough, there’s blood on his fingertips. Looks like the corner of a cereal box had clipped him on the head and cut him. Of course it had. 

Bobby hauls Jinhwan to his feet just as several store employees descend upon the scene. At the sight of Jinhwan’s bloody face (though it’s really nothing more than a trickle), they start apologizing profusely, refusing Bobby’s help when he says it had been their fault and they’d help clean up. “C’mon,” Jinhwan mutters, “let’s just pay and get out of here.” He doesn’t even want to buy anything anymore, but he thinks he at least owes the store the twenty dollars’ worth of things he already has in the cart. “But we aren’t done, and I still think we should help—” Bobby starts to say, but before he can even finish his sentence, an employee appears with a first aid kit, and that’s the last straw for Jinhwan. “I’m fine, really,” he says in a loud voice, and he grabs Bobby firmly by the wrist and drags him back to the cart. Jinhwan hands Bobby his wallet and tells him to pay, and before Bobby can protest, Jinhwan flees the store and escapes to their car. 

He examines his head in the sun visor mirror. The cut is tiny, thin, and shallow, but it does sting. He cleans up the bit of blood that had started trickling down his face with some tissues he always keeps in the car, and then he fishes a band-aid out of the glove compartment. Hanbin makes fun of him for having things like this in the car, but it’s always better to be prepared, and this just proves it. With a sigh he sticks the band-aid on the cut, careful to avoid his hairline, and then he gingerly touches the back of his head. It’s throbbing, and he can feel a lump forming there. Great. Just great.

Bobby shows up with the groceries a few minutes later. He throws the bags in the back seat and then slides into the driver’s seat. “You okay?” he asks, and he sounds like he really is concerned. “Yeah.” When he doesn’t say anything else, Jinhwan looks over at him and then rolls his eyes. Bobby is staring at him, biting his lip and shaking because he’s trying so hard not to laugh. “Fuck you,” Jinhwan grumbles. And that’s just the cue Bobby needs to burst into such a hysterical fit of laughter that he can’t even breathe. Jinhwan spends the whole car ride back to their apartment sulking. Bobby has calmed down enough by the time they get back that Jinhwan is just about ready to forgive him, but of course Bobby has to ruin everything.

“Next time just ask for help if you can’t reach something.”

(Needless to say, Jinhwan doesn't speak to Bobby for the rest of the night, but it doesn’t stop him from telling Hanbin, and the two of them tease Jinhwan endlessly for the next month for having lost a fight with a cereal box.)


	2. In the Hallway (junhwan)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **junhwan, in the hallway**  
> 
> Junhwe is constantly projecting his big dumb obnoxious energy so he can’t see anything in front of him, whether that thing happens to be the living room table, his own gigantic stupid feet, or Jinhwan himself.

Junhwe is huge. He isn’t just a big guy—everything about him is big and loud, from his voice to his personality to the way he laughs with his whole damn body. Jinhwan, by comparison, is small and reserved, so it’s really no wonder that they keep crashing into each other all the time. Junhwe is constantly projecting his big dumb obnoxious energy so he can’t see anything in front of him, whether that thing happens to be the living room table, his own gigantic stupid feet, or Jinhwan himself. And frankly, Jinhwan is tired of it. Chanwoo doesn’t seem to have this problem (at least, he doesn’t run into Jinhwan nearly as much), so Jinhwan can’t really figure out what the deal is with Junhwe.

Jinhwan is standing in the hallway, holding an iced coffee and reading some messages on a bulletin board. He’s early for his lesson, so he has nothing better to do than read advertisements, news clippings, and random tidbits about the staff. He’s inspecting a list of birthdays to see if there’s anyone on there he knows when, as usual, Junhwe comes barreling down the hallway and bashes right into him. Jinhwan yelps, flailing wildly as he grasps for purchase to keep himself from falling down, but he lands hard on his butt and spills his coffee all over himself. He sits there stunned for a moment before he looks down at his now ruined white shirt and the stain forming right on the crotch of his freshly washed jeans. He glares up at Junhwe.

“Didn’t you see me?” he asks, unable to keep his frustration out of his voice.  
“Not from up here,” Junhwe answers automatically, but instead of grumbling or rolling his eyes or firing back with his own retort, Jinhwan just looks down at the puddle of coffee on the floor. Junhwe changes immediately. “I mean, sorry, hyung, and I really didn’t see you.”  
Junhwe squats down in front of Jinhwan, and he does actually seem apologetic. “This is getting ridiculous,” Jinhwan says. He can feel angry tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.  
“What’s getting ridiculous?”  
“You running into me all the time.”  
“I don’t run into you _all_ the time—”  
“Yes you do!” Jinhwan shouts, and he’s actually crying now. He hadn’t even realized he’d been this irritated by it. “You always do, and Chanwoo never does, so what the hell is your problem?”  
Junhwe looks vaguely alarmed. “I’m not doing it on purpose, hyung. Really, I’m sorry.”  
“Whatever,” Jinhwan mutters.  
“Hey, no, really, I am,” Junhwe insists as he stands. “C’mon, I know I’ve got a clean shirt here, and me and Bobby-hyung walked over together, so I know he brought an extra pair of shorts to work out in later.”

Junhwe holds out his hand to help Jinhwan up. He does seem sorry, surprisingly, so Jinhwan resignedly lets himself be led to the locker room.

*

After the coffee-spilling incident, Jinhwan is happy to find that Junhwe no longer walks into him. In fact, Junhwe hardly touches Jinhwan at all. Jinhwan is less happy about that. He still gets more than enough of his daily dose of physical affection from Hanbin, and he still dotes on Chanwoo and forces his love on Bobby, but it isn’t the same. Jinhwan misses the way Junhwe always touches his neck and back, he misses the way he’d been able to rest his head against Junhwe’s shoulder, and he misses the way they’d always sat right in each other’s space. Honestly, he misses being constantly smacked in the face by Junhwe’s big dumb obnoxious energy. Somehow. For some reason.

He barges into Junhwe’s room one night when he just can’t take it anymore. Junhwe is sitting at his desk, writing, but when he glances over his shoulder and realizes that it’s Jinhwan, he scrambles to his feet. “Hyung,” he says nervously. Jinhwan shuts the door behind him and walks to the center of the room. His arms are folded across his chest, and he’s frowning. Junhwe is fiddling with his pen and is refusing to meet Jinhwan’s eyes. So something really _is_ going on. Jinhwan narrows his eyes and purses his lips.

“What’s going on with you?”  
“What’s going on with me?”  
“Yeah,” Jinhwan says. He steps closer and jabs Junhwe in the chest with an accusatory finger. “You never want to hang out with me anymore.” Jinhwan isn’t quite ready to admit that he misses being touched all the time.  
“Uh, well, I’m just trying not to run into you…”  
“Okay, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop running into me figuratively, too!”  
Junhwe gives him a blank look. Jinhwan sighs.  
“I just wanted you to stop banging into me. I still want us to hang out.”  
“Do you,” Junhwe mutters. It isn’t a question.  
Jinhwan pokes Junhwe’s chest again. “Seriously, what’s wrong?”

Junhwe is quiet for a long time. He looks like he’s having some sort of fierce internal battle. Jinhwan tilts his head expectantly.

“Junhwe?”  
Junhwe runs a hand through his hair. “Hyung, don’t hit me,” he starts, and Jinhwan braces himself for an insult that he’ll smack Junhwe for anyway. “Don’t hit me, but after that time, I realized how much _bigger_ I am than you.”  
Jinhwan rolls his eyes. “You’ve been bigger than me since you joined the company.”  
“No, I mean, like, you were so cute…” he trails off and looks at Jinhwan helplessly.  
“So you mean to say,” Jinhwan says in a flat voice, “that me falling flat on my ass, getting coffee all over myself, and crying because I was so pissed at you was cute?”  
“Yeah? I mean, I don’t know…”  
Junhwe sits on the edge of his bed and frowns thoughtfully at Jinhwan.  
“I’m not cute,” Jinhwan grumbles. He’s sick of repeating himself.  
“Oh, you’re hot as hell,” Junhwe says sincerely, and Jinhwan’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “But I never realized how cute you can be too, and it kinda… I felt sorta…”  
Jinhwan sits beside him on the bed. “Felt sorta what?”  
“Like I’m actually really attracted to you?”

Jinhwan’s jaw drops. Junhwe has that same helpless look on his face. Jinhwan has always thought that Junhwe has a little crush on him, but he’d never thought that Junhwe had never realized it. But Jinhwan supposes he can’t judge Junhwe too harshly considering he hadn’t noticed his own little crush until he’d started missing even the annoying things about Junhwe. He sighs. “So you’ve been avoiding me?” Junhwe gives a half-hearted shrug. Jinhwan huffs and says Junhwe should have just said something. “I’m saying something now!” Junhwe says defensively. Jinhwan pats Junhwe’s thigh. He should probably do something about this.

“Well,” Jinhwan says matter-of-factly, “thank you for finally realizing you like me.”  
Junhwe scoffs. “Finally?”  
“Yes, finally,” Jinhwan says with a grin. He leans over to kiss Junhwe’s cheek, and the way Junhwe’s whole face lights up makes Jinhwan feel like the most powerful being in the universe.  
“Shit,” Junhwe says eloquently before he scoops Jinhwan up in his arms to kiss him for real.

Jinhwan comes back to his senses when Junhwe starts trailing kisses down his neck. He pulls back a bit.

“But if you crash into me again, Junhwe, I swear to god—”  
“Oh, hyung, just shut up,” Junhwe whines.

He kisses Jinhwan quiet, and Jinhwan lets him because for once Jinhwan doesn’t mind being overwhelmed by Junhwe’s big dumb obnoxious energy.


	3. In the Coffee Shop (bobhwan)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **bobhwan, in the coffee shop, au**
> 
> Jinhwan goes to the breakroom to get his apron, and sitting innocently outside his locker is a little stool with his name on it, and it’s covered in hand-drawn hearts and Winnie the Pooh stickers. Jinhwan gnashes his teeth. Fucking Bobby.

“Hey, Bobby, can you grab more straws?”

Jinhwan is putting lids on three drinks, but there’s only one straw left in the holder. He slides the drinks across the counter to where three office ladies are waiting. Bobby doesn’t look up from the ham and cheese bagel he’s sprinkling cheese on. “Why don’t you get them? I’m busy.” Jinhwan looks determinedly away from the customers and tries to keep his tone even. “You know I can’t reach them.” Bobby does look over at him this time, smirking, and he lopes over to the cupboard, slapping Jinhwan on the back as he goes. “All right, then you finish my sandwich.” Bobby refills the straw holder with straws and hands two of them to the ladies.

“Here you are, ladies,” he says devilishly. “Sorry for the wait.”

They laugh and tell him it’s fine, and Jinhwan resists the urge to fling the hot sandwich at Bobby’s stupid face.

*

Jinhwan walks into work the next morning to snickers and surreptitious glances. “What?” he snaps, and Chanwoo and Yunhyeong immediately say it’s nothing and get back to work. Jinhwan goes to the breakroom to get his apron, and sitting innocently outside his locker is a little stool with his name on it, and it’s covered in hand-drawn hearts and Winnie the Pooh stickers. Jinhwan gnashes his teeth. Fucking Bobby. Jinhwan leaves the stool where it is and stomps back out to the front. “Not a word from either of you,” he threatens, but it just makes Chanwoo actually start laughing so hard that Yunhyeong has to finish making his coffee.

Jinhwan is going to _kill_ Bobby.

*

Much to Jinhwan’s dismay, the stool ends up actually being useful. Yunhyeong had brought it out from the breakroom and used it (even though he doesn’t need it), which had irritated Jinhwan a little bit. But he’d had enough pride not to say something incredibly stupid like _That’s mine,_ and instead he’d quietly used it later to get down more sugar packets. The stool gives him just enough height to be able to reach everything, and it’s small enough that Jinhwan can tuck it into a corner and it’s out of the way. Maybe it hadn’t been meant as an insult; maybe Bobby had really been trying to be thoughtful. Or maybe he’d just been trying to be insulting but the stupid thing is actually helpful so his plan had backfired. Jinhwan decides not to think about it too much.

When Bobby comes in late that afternoon to replace Yunhyeong, he keeps shooting Jinhwan knowing and expectant looks that Jinhwan dutifully ignores. He’s not going to give Bobby the satisfaction of knowing that Jinhwan had used the stool. But during the after-work rush, Jinhwan is so caught up in what he’s doing that he uses the stool to get things three times. He puts it back after the last time, just as the rush is dying down, and turns around to come face to face with Bobby. Bobby, of course, seems smug, so Jinhwan puts on his best _don’t fuck with me face_ and gazes up at Bobby defiantly.

“Well?” Bobby asks, grinning.  
“I literally hate you,” Jinhwan grumbles, and Bobby’s shit-eating grin grows wider. “But, honestly, thanks, I guess.”  
“That’s all?”  
Jinhwan raises his eyebrows. “That’s all? What the hell were you expecting?”  
Bobby’s smile falters. “I wasn’t—didn’t you—”  
“What’s up, people, I’m here!”

They’re interrupted by Hanbin’s loudly announcing his presence, and Jinhwan gives Bobby an annoyed look before shoving past him for the breakroom so he can go home.

*

Bobby is weird around Jinhwan the next morning during his shift. He seems sometimes hopeful, sometimes disappointed, and sometimes nervous. But Bobby is weird on most days, so Jinhwan just chalks it up to Bobby’s usual quirkiness. But when Bobby is relieved by Chanwoo midafternoon, he gives Jinhwan a despondent wave goodbye, as well as a very glum _See you tomorrow,_ and Jinhwan isn’t quite sure what to make of it.

*

Hanbin comes in for the closing shift, so Jinhwan heads back to the breakroom to get rid of his apron and grab his coat. Chanwoo pops in, his arms full with two large trash bags. He’s barely holding onto the stool by one of its legs. “Hanbin said to leave the stool in the breakroom when you’re not here.” Jinhwan rolls his eyes. “Right,” he says. He crosses the room to take the stool, and when Chanwoo hands it over, Jinhwan notices something taped to the underside. He waits for Chanwoo to leave, sits on the couch, and flips the stool over in his lap. There are two straws and a letter taped to the bottom of the stool. Jinhwan grumbles at the straws, but he tears open the letter, curious. It isn’t like Bobby to leave notes.

_Hope you like this stool!!! I know your going to think I’m making fun of you but I’m not not totally anyways. My sister in law uses one at her house and I thought that was way smart so after you asked me for the straws I remembered and got you this. Made it pretty too!!!!! Anyways this is mostly just an excuse to ask you out if your interested I’m planning on going to the fair this weekend and if you want to come let me know!!!! If your not interested that’s cool too no pressure._

_Bobby_

Jinhwan stares at the letter. This is actually… super sweet and adorable. He reads the note again and shakes his head. No wonder Bobby had asked if that had been all; he’d been expecting Jinhwan to say something about the letter, not the stool. Jinhwan puts the stool in front of his locker, stuffs the straws and the letter in his coat pocket, and hurries from the shop. 

*

Jinhwan knocks on Bobby’s door. Donghyuk answers. “Hi,” Jinhwan says. “Bobby’s home, right?” Donghyuk steps aside to let him in and then shouts “Bobby!” at the top of his lungs. Jinhwan winces. It isn’t like he doesn’t know where Bobby’s room is. “ _Shit,_ dude, where’s the fire—oh, Jinhwan.” Bobby stops in the living room, surprised. He’s got on loose-fitting jeans and a scoop neck shirt that shows off his collarbones. His long, purple hair (a recent dye job that suits him way more than it should) is down, and he’s got dark glasses on. Bobby’s hair is always up at the shop and when he’s in class, and he only ever wears his glasses at home. Jinhwan licks his lips. He’s always appreciated Bobby’s looks, but this is really something else. He looks damn good.

“Can we talk?”  
“Yeah, sure,” Bobby says, and he beckons for Jinhwan to follow him into his room.

He turns on the lights and kicks dirty clothes out of the way to make a path to the bed. He fixes the comforter and shoves his body pillow to the side, then sits on the bed and pats the space beside him. “What’s up?” he asks, and his tone is easy. Jinhwan plops down beside him and fiddles with the sleeve of his coat for a minute before he pulls the two straws out of his pocket. Bobby’s eyes widen, and Jinhwan holds one straw out to him. He takes it, twirling it around in his fingers.

“I got your note,” Jinhwan says.  
Bobby snorts. “Finally.”  
“You should have just put it on the top,” Jinhwan chides.  
“So Hanbin or Junhwe could go snooping around? No thanks.”  
Jinhwan laughs. “Yeah, you know Junhwe would have opened it for sure.”  
They’re both quiet for a moment, and then Bobby tilts his head. “Well? You wanna go out with me? Seriously, though, no pressure, but I do like you a lot, so just let me down gently.”  
Jinhwan punches Bobby’s shoulder. “Yes, you idiot, I want to go out with you.”

Bobby whoops and snakes an arm around Jinhwan’s waist as he pecks Jinhwan on the cheek. “Is that the best you can do?” Jinhwan teases as he twines their fingers together. Bobby smirks. “Is that a challenge?” Jinhwan snorts, but he can’t say anything else before Bobby is kissing him for real, and god is he _damn_ good at it.


	4. In the Art Studio (binhwan)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **binhwan, in the art studio, au**
> 
> Jinhwan shrugs. “Perks of being fun-sized.”

“Hey, Hanbin, can you grab some more blue paint?”  
“Sure,” Hanbin says as he slips off his stool. 

Yunhyeong thanks him, and Hanbin scurries across the room to the supply cabinets. He squats down in front of the one labeled “paint” in Yunhyeong’s neat script. He opens the cabinet, but what he sees nearly makes him fall over. “Gah! What the—”

Jinhwan is currently folded up in the cabinet.

“Shh!” he hisses. “I’m hiding.”  
Hanbin gapes at him. “You’re _what?_ ”  
“Shhh,” Jinhwan says again, pressing a finger to his lips.  
“Okay,” Hanbin whispers, “well, who are you hiding from? And why are you even in the painting room?”  
Jinhwan is in the pottery class.  
“Junhwe,” Jinhwan says, craning his neck to try to see around Hanbin. Hanbin glances over his shoulder too, but only Yunhyeong and Chanwoo are in the room. Once Jinhwan is sure Junhwe isn’t lurking behind an easel, he continues in an urgent whisper: “Me and Donghyuk and Bobby accidentally broke his pot, and now he’s out for blood.”  
“Oh,” Hanbin says. He isn’t sure what else he can say.  
“Jinhwan!” booms Junhwe. Hanbin yelps and does fall over this time.  
“Shit,” Jinhwan groans.

Hanbin closes the cabinet door and hops to his feet. He does his best to look innocent as Junhwe stomps through the art room with Yunhyeong trailing after him, asking him to be calm. “You!” Junhwe shouts, pointing at Hanbin. Hanbin holds his hands up. “I’m not Jinhwan,” he says. But he must look guilty because Junhwe looks unconvinced, and Yunhyeong frowns. “Wait, Hanbin, where’s the paint I asked for?” Junhwe looks between Yunhyeong and Hanbin, and then he points at the paint cabinet. “Aha!” he cries dramatically. He shoves Hanbin out of the way as Hanbin tries to protest weakly and throws open the door. “Hi, Junhwe,” Jinhwan says morosely from inside the cabinet. Junhwe drags him out.

“You broke my pot!” he wails.  
“Sorry,” Jinhwan says. “And sorry, Yunhyeong, for ruining your art class.”  
“Okay, enough apologizing, bangs up,” Junhwe demands, and with a sigh Jinhwan pushes up his bangs and squeezes his eyes shut. Junhwe flicks his forehead.   
“ _Ouch!_ Shit, Junhwe, that _hurt!_ ” Jinhwan complains, rubbing the red spot where Junhwe had flicked him.  
“Yeah, but at least now I feel better. You three are the literal worst.” 

And with that, Junhwe whirls from the room. Yunhyeong pinches the bridge of his nose, announces they’re taking a ten-minute break, and then he and Chanwoo (who is stifling his laughter) leave the art room to get some coffee. So now Hanbin and Jinhwan are alone in the painting room. Hanbin gets back down on the floor and tries to squeeze himself into the cabinet, but he can barely fit his torso inside. Jinhwan squats and pokes Hanbin’s side.

“What are you doing?” he says with a laugh.  
“How did you _fit_ in there?” Hanbin asks seriously.  
Jinhwan shrugs. “Perks of being fun-sized.”  
“Fun-sized,” Hanbin repeats as he looks Jinhwan up and down. A dopey grin crosses his face, and Jinhwan narrows his eyes.  
“Don’t get any ideas,” he says, and he gently flicks Hanbin’s cheek.


	5. On the Bus (chanhwan)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **chanhwan, on the bus, au**
> 
> “You really are the perfect size,” Chanwoo says fondly.

Jinhwan is leaning against the window, his eyes closed as he dozes, lulled asleep by the rhythmic rumbling of the bus. It’s early, so there still aren’t many people. It’s always pleasant, these early morning bus rides. Some rare time alone for him to think. But it only lasts around ten minutes before more people, including several of his friends, all crowd on the bus. Usually Hanbin sits with Jinhwan, Yunhyeong sits nearby, and Chanwoo stands, but there’s an empty double seat across from Jinhwan that Hanbin and Yunhyeong slide into, so Chanwoo sits beside Jinhwan.

Jinhwan doesn’t mind, of course. He adores Chanwoo, and he doesn’t mind if someone sits next to him. But he’d never realized exactly how damn _long_ Chanwoo’s legs are. Jinhwan is actually being crushed in his seat. He squirms, trying to give himself more space, but Chanwoo won’t budge. “Hyung?” Chanwoo asks finally. “You gotta pee or something?” Jinhwan glares at him and gestures toward their legs. Chanwoo’s knee is in Jinhwan’s space. Chanwoo looks apologetic.

“Sorry, but I can’t really help that.”

It’s true; if he were to straighten his legs, they literally wouldn’t fit. He’s only spread his legs just far enough apart for them to fit at all, so it must not be comfortable for him either. Jinhwan pats Chanwoo’s knee and tries to situate himself, but it’s impossible. He feels so squished.

“Good thing you’re small,” Chanwoo says after a while.  
“Excuse me?”  
“Imagine if me and Junhwe had to sit together,” Chanwoo says with a laugh.  
“You guys wouldn’t even fit,” Jinhwan says.  
“And he’d just complain the whole time.”  
Jinhwan grins. “That would be even worse than the not fitting.”  
“Yeah,” Chanwoo agrees, “it really would.”

Jinhwan rests his hand on Chanwoo’s knee and runs his fingers absently across it. At least Chanwoo is thoughtful and apologetic; if it were Junhwe that Jinhwan were squished into a bus seat with, he would have complained incessantly, crushed Jinhwan on purpose, and demanded most of the space because he’s bigger. So in the end, it’s not as bad of a bus ride as it could have been. Later, when they all get off the bus and head toward the student center to meet up with their other friends, Chanwoo’s arm finds its way around Jinhwan’s shoulders. 

“You really are the perfect size,” Chanwoo says fondly.

Jinhwan elbows him, but he can’t deny that he likes the way he fits against Chanwoo, even when they’re squashed on a narrow bus seat.


	6. At the Concert (bobhwan)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **bobhwan, at the concert, au**  
>     
> Jinhwan grabs Bobby’s hand, and Bobby leans down so Jinhwan can shout in his ear over the noise. “I can’t fucking see,” he complains.

Bobby and Jinhwan are at a concert. They’re far in the back, and even Bobby is having difficulty seeing the band. Jinhwan grabs Bobby’s hand, and Bobby leans down so Jinhwan can shout in his ear over the noise. “I can’t fucking see,” he complains. “Me either,” Bobby replies with a shrug. Jinhwan pouts a little, standing on tiptoe as he tries to see over the heads of the other people in the crowd. The concert is at a flat field, so even though the stage is raised, it’s still so hard to see. But Bobby’s having a pretty decent time regardless. He bobs along to the beat and sips his beer.

After a few minutes, Jinhwan tugs on Bobby’s sleeve. He shoves his empty beer cup at Bobby, a sour expression on his face. Bobby can tell Jinhwan isn’t enjoying himself. First they’d left late because Jinhwan had overslept and then taken too long to get ready, and then they hadn’t been able to get a parking space so they’d had to walk fifteen minutes from a different parking garage. And so after all that, they’d ended up in the very back of the field. The only good thing about this is that they’re close to the alcohol stand. Bobby knows Jinhwan wants to complain but is stopping himself because he recognizes it’s his own fault that their spot stinks. Bobby takes the cup from Jinhwan and puts his own in it. “I can’t _see,_ ” Jinhwan grumbles again, arms folded across his chest. Two songs later and Bobby gets another empty beer cup, followed soon after by another and then another. “You been knocking a lotta these back,” he says to Jinhwan finally, but Jinhwan just brushes him off. 

Bobby sighs. This is really turning into some date.

Finally it’s the last band before the headliner, the group Bobby and Jinhwan had come to see, and Jinhwan grabs Bobby’s hand again. He’s drunk by now, of course, but he doesn’t seem as grumpy as he had a while ago (thanks to the alcohol). He points to some girls in the crowd who are on their boyfriends’ (or so Bobby assumes) shoulders. “Do you think maybe I could sit on your shoulders?” Jinhwan asks. Bobby raises his eyebrows. Jinhwan never would have asked if he’d been sober. When Bobby doesn’t say anything (he’s too surprised), Jinhwan squeezes Bobby’s hand and pouts. “C’mon,” he whines. “I wanna see too!” He tugs Bobby’s hand, and Bobby smiles in spite of himself. Jinhwan gets weirdly cute when he’s drunk. “Yeah, of course,” Bobby squats down, Jinhwan clambers onto his shoulders, and then Bobby stands back up. “I can see!” Jinhwan shouts gleefully, and Bobby smiles.

When the headliner starts singing, Jinhwan pulls at Bobby’s hair. “Shit, man, what!” Bobby shouts, trying to bat Jinhwan’s hand away with his free hand. He’s going to fall over if Jinhwan keeps that up. But Jinhwan just grabs Bobby’s hand and laces their fingers together, beaming down at him. He holds Bobby’s hand for the entire set, and his weird cuteness gives Bobby the strength to persevere and keep Jinhwan on his shoulders for the rest of the show. Afterward, when he lets Jinhwan down, Jinhwan holds Bobby’s hand again and all but clings to him as they walk back to the car. “It was great when I could see.” Jinhwan is babbling, too drunk and excited to be coherent. “God I love you,” Jinhwan says, and he’s looking up at Bobby with such adoration that Bobby thinks his heart might burst. He kisses Jinhwan’s forehead, and Jinhwan hums in satisfaction. Weirdly cute.

Bobby grins. It really had turned out to be some date.


	7. In the Courtyard (binhwan)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **binhwan, in the courtyard, au**  
>     
> Hanbin looks so cute and earnest that Jinhwan lets Hanbin hold his hand as they make their way to the library.

“Hyung, wait up!”

Jinhwan pauses and turns around to see Hanbin jogging after him. He catches up and grabs Jinhwan’s hand. He grins. “Don’t wanna lose you.” Jinhwan raises his eyebrows and looks around. There are literally four other people in the courtyard. But Hanbin looks so cute and earnest that Jinhwan lets Hanbin hold his hand as they make their way to the library.

A few months ago, Jinhwan, Hanbin, and their friends had gone to a fair, and Jinhwan had gotten separated from everyone else for a while. After that, Hanbin had started holding Jinhwan’s hand whenever they’re in a space bigger than a bedroom with more than three people (including them) in it. “You’re so small!” Hanbin insists whenever Jinhwan complains. “I don’t wanna lose you!” So today is just another incident in a long line of hand-holding journeys, most of which really have no need for the hand-holding. Jinhwan narrows his eyes in suspicion and stops walking.

“Hanbin, I don’t think I’m going to get lost when there isn’t even anyone around.”  
Hanbin squeezes Jinhwan’s hand. “But hyung,” he says.  
Jinhwan raises his eyebrows. “But what? I’m not even that small.”  
“But at the fair—”  
“That was _one time,_ ” Jinhwan says flatly. “And we’ve only been in a crowded place, like, twice since then, but you’re always holding my hand anyway.”  
“Yeah, well…” Hanbin mumbles. His cheeks are pink. Suddenly, it clicks.  
“Wait…” Jinhwan says slowly. “Hanbin, you don’t—do you just wanna hold my hand? Like, for no real reason?”  
Hanbin’s flush deepens. “Maybe.”  
“You don’t have to make up some excuse,” Jinhwan says with a grin. “You can just ask.”

Hanbin shoots Jinhwan a sidelong glance and shrugs. Jinhwan leans up to give Hanbin a quick kiss on the cheek. “Oh, c’mon, let’s just go to the stupid library,” Hanbin mutters as he pulls Jinhwan along behind him, his face bright red. “You’re still small, and I still don’t wanna lose you,” Hanbin says, trying to regain the upper hand, but nothing can stop Jinhwan from feeling as triumphant as he does right now.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! That's all for now, but who knows--I might get uninspired again and write more haha.


End file.
